story by Kim Souza
ksouza@thecitywire.com
The committee tasked with assessing the student demand and community interest for a proposed sanctioned sports program at NorthWest Arkansas Community College hit some opposition from the college administration and faculty at its monthly meeting Oct. 16 in Bentonville.
After nearly 90 minutes of discussion back and forth about how to proceed with an interest survey of high school students regarding proposed sanctioned sports at NWACC, the committee agreed to table the matter. However, college officials agreed to move ahead with the mandated Title IX survey required by federal law. The survey of the students enrolled at NWACC will be done via Survey Monkey. The college’s communication department will notify students by email when the survey is ready.
This is the first time NWACC has had to give a Title IX survey because the school has never offered sanctioned sports since it was founded in 1989 and began offering classes in 1990. The committee plans to reimburse the college for any hours used to compile and administer the survey, which they believe will be minimal.
Discussions for a community college-level sports program began in July at the college’s semi-annual Board of Trustees retreat. Board member Todd Schwartz broached the subject of the college offering organized sports for the first time in its nearly 25-year history. It offers club sports, which has nearly 80 participants. Schwartz said he recently attended a conference where the idea of community colleges having competitive sports teams was discussed.
“NWACC has always supported its students through organizations,” he said. “A sanctioned sports program seems to be another way.”
A group of community business leaders attended the July meeting advocating for the program. Among them was Cameron Smith, CEO of Cameron Smith & Associates, and former Razorback baseball coach Norm DeBriyn.
A committee was then formed to assess the potential demand and interest from students and the community at large. Gann Nunally, general manager of Nunally Chevrolet, spoke at the committee’s August meeting in favor for a sports program. He believes sanctioned sports at the college will drive higher enrollment numbers, which is a top college priority according to its goals posted on the NWACC website.
Schwartz and the committee exploring the idea said they planned to assess student interest and community support, set a budget and take their proposal to the full board for a vote.
At Thursday’s meeting Laurie Atkins, committee member and math professor/softball coach at the University of the Ozarks, presented her research as to why NWACC should offer sports even though only three community colleges in Arkansas do so — Mid-South Community College in West Memphis, North Arkansas College in Harrison and Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock, which is private.
Ten other two-year schools across the state do not have the population base to support sports team, according to Adkins' report. That left two junior colleges — Pulaski Technical College in North Little Rock and NWACC.
Atkins said Pulaski Technical does not have a sports programs because its core focus is vocational training rather than traditional college coursework that is transferable toward to four-year bachelor’s degree. She said NWACC has the student and community population base to support sanctioned sports if they were offered.
“Many of our students are going out of the county and state, paying to go college and universities that provide sanctioned sports programs. These services that, having received millage and other public monies, we in all rights should be providing,” Atkins said.
She said multiple studies show student athletes have higher retention rates and often are high achieving academically over the general student population.
NWACC President Dr. Evelyn Jorgenson took issue with the latter statement saying student athletes often get more services. She said if the general student population got extra tutorials, coaches and other help they too could have higher retention rates and better grade point averages.
Atkins said she offers study halls to all of her math students and it’s primarily the student athletics who attend, noting that staying academically eligible is important for the student athlete.
Chip Durham, also a committee member and former college baseball coach, said student athletics are justified in getting tutorial time given that they practice three to four hours a day and have travel time that detracts from their hours in the classroom.
Chuck Huebner, a committee member and pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Rogers, addressed the committee Thursday with his plan to survey high school students to access their interest toward NWACC should they offer sanctioned sports. Huebner proposed going into the schools and handing out the survey which would be completed on the spot. His idea was met with opposition from NWACC faculty who suggested the committee rely on numbers supplied by the Arkansas Activities Association. After discussion regarding time and potential confusion to the public, nothing was decided.
Committee member Dr. Jerry Vervack, dean of Social & Behavioral Sciences and Education at NWACC, reminded the group that while student interest is important it’s the community at large, parents of the students and taxpayers who also must support the proposed sanctioned sports initiative. All but six of the state's two-year colleges get local financial support from the communities they serve. NWACC has the second highest enrollment behind Pulaski Technical College and receives 2.5 mills, the second highest millage in the state for a community college. MidSouth Community College in West Memphis receives 4 mills, the highest in the state.
Schwartz said the committee will try and set budgets for the proposed sports teams at the next meeting set for Nov. 13. That meeting will also include discussion on how to best survey students, and determining community interest.
The committee is also looking into any state statutes that might prohibit a two-year community college who gets state funding and local millage from offering sanctioned sports. The committee said they had not researched the law for prohibitions when asked by Dr. Jorgenson.